June 29, 2016

Culinary School Lesson 10 - 11

Oh, potato day at culinary school, if I see one more potato I will weep. We made potato puree, potato gratin, potato puffs, potato croquettes, potato fries, potato chips and potato baskets. As an extra treat, Chef made us some fried potato skins smothered in cheese. Chef says he likes to put a fat slice of potato gratin on his burgers. I said, “Chef, that’s double carb!” and he said “Dora, live a little!”.

June 22, 2016

Culinary School Lesson 7 - 9



In his book, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, Anthony Bourdain wrote that if you’re over 32 or you have eczema, you’re probably not cut out to be a chef. I think you can be anything you want, but I’m starting to see what he means. My hands are covered in eczema, cracked skin and rough patches. There’s not enough time between classes for my skin to heal. Last night in class, I sliced through my fingernail with a vegetable peeler of all things, but luckily, I didn’t break the skin. 

June 12, 2016

Culinary School Lesson 3 - 6

How in the world am I supposed to set up my station and get “mise en place” ready for 5 mother sauces in only 15 minutes when each ingredient has to be located and carefully weighed? And where the hell is the flour? And how come my scale isn’t zeroing properly? Is this salt or sugar?